Automatic player-piano.



H. WITTIG, JR.

AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO. 1 i

. APPLICATIONTILED NOV.2 3 19:14.

Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H.W|TTIG, JR-

AUTOMATIC-PLAYER PIANO.

. APPLICATION FILED NOV-23, 1914. 1,176,877. v Patented Mar. 28,1916. y l I 4 2 SHEETS-SHEETZ -%fzzeesises I 1 f ther absentee n e t on 18 we p nnfimanjwn' rldam} or NORTHIHILADELPHIA,-PENNSYLVANIA.

t TOLaZZJMIt' m it may concern v Be it x known that; I, -HERMAN county f of Philadelphia and State of Penn :sylvania, haveinvented certain newj'and use r -ful; Improvements jin Automatic' Player- 7 Pianos, otwhich the vfollowing is a specification, u i v The present invention jrelates to mprove :ments in automatic player pianos, 1 and involvesespecially the improvements-an the pneumaticvalves and the striking ;dev1ces i used in connection-therewith.

15 I *ofvalves in; which;theistriking: pneuniatics v e. cont o d y m a o iz s cond y I valve, whi'chjis' in l renhcQntrollediby "ajpri- 1 Wil'yvalve actuated; from the tracker board; The primary object offtheginvention is to I i pr vide? a pneuma i i strik ng d i 11 The. inv ntion involves the double system hcchdhe': act a ing pa ts-ere c ose y secen the-cos PiQ 0 Tf& he;;. e ti fi m ntenance ff-the; p m ic; actuating a yie,:ai i th r:t iprov a a j ta le e i e i f -kina dev c o ake 1 l t e 1 pc m ryrae seevndary-val esind-the s rika f ggkdev sea llus rate i. *fc,on cti tw h a Po on of t P een- 1:fi gaaasfa-vie ,sembled in orderf-to; require a minimum av -cf; i e-thede m sact edgi nd sc n or e t I prov deza e i hi h mpect:a d" mp at velyis mall nxc r Passisothen-it .iv lhv occupy e mp atwely sma l-space w thin thep nei nd. w -ad pt edato-z-l se c pianos;

lig ion with? a l" St nda d e n d i c nn c n w thw hle. p an h tiw produce; a r su cles ly R-i 1 act-1 ,p Pla o/k ys:

- n entio :ace i tsy n: c tai .no e acombia nations; 1 and arrang ments of pneum'atic lves amtfl ib eki g d s as i-wi bef; hereinafter more fully I described: rand claimed-i u e lzis a se io al ewmomma PLAYER-314m I Specification of Letters Patent.

V Jrl, a citizen'of the United States of America; residing: at NQItlI- Philadelphia, in' the etinga t e i human uch up nthe 'lnui he a o panying d awi s" h illustrated r one complete example; Zandga l ht me ifi eticnq hereo of a o p et I embodiment of f;my invention j constructed acordingato the best;- modes l; have-so far i vi ed or the-Practica epp' i a ien f; the;-

pr ciplese 1 ho ng he Patented B Iar. 28,:1916.

Application filed November 23, 1914. Serial No.873g532.

' of one of the valve boxes and its valve slightly" modified from', the construction shown in Fig; 1, Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional viewishowing one'of the-features of the flexible striking :device. Fig 41s a fragmentary sectional detail view show; a 1

inga fleizible joint between'the piano action and a, rockerqarm of the striking device.

Fig. Sis another detail sectional viewshowing a screw for regulating the rockingmove: ment of r the rocker arm of the striking device with relation to the piano action. Fig. 7 1 l 6 is a sideelevat on of one of my' mproved .rockerarms. Fig. '7 1s a'perspective View of afulcrumblock, one'of which isrequired,

for eachstriking device. Y

' In the preferred embodiment ofmy i n'- vention,1as illustrated in the drawings, I have shown the usual-piano key 1, with-its adjustable abstract lifting. device-2,: and,

the piano abstract a m which is attached V the cushioned lifter, all asordi narily used 1 n-the standard pianoi ajction. Inthe draW-, ings I have illustrated only'oneaction and its connection with the action of the piano, and]? itw illi be understood, of course,'jthat as many of these de'vices vvwill be employed-as are;re-

quired,-fusually sixty-five oraeighty-eight.,-

a In utilizing my'device, I employ the'valve'; bon,5',;to which is attached-the rubber hose",

orsuotion tube} 6, extending from thetIiaCker board as, ;usual; to the a valve boX, and this 5 suctionfl hose 1 opens into a. channel in the; valve gbox 5. This vchannel 7 extends horiizontallyalon'g ;the bottom of thebox, and has at its'enda vertical passage 8,'j'above which is located the' diaphragm 9 :of thesuction chamber 10, the diaphragm shut-f g s ,1. 3 efij cmm in ca e w ei SS W th; th e ea bj c a e h 8 and the suctionfchambenas clearly shown.

Within the suction chamber j the primary valvell isflocated, its stem- 12 extending.

'upthrough-the vertical passage l3, theup per porti of -whichpassage being clo'sedby 15 opens to the atmosphere atithe top of the valve-box 5. An additional channel 16 the valve;;l5. It will be seen thatthe port extends: horizontallyw fr0m the passage; 13',

intlie vacuum chamber;l8. The numberElS,

in Fig. lin'dicatesaniiopening (dotted lines) from vacuum chamberlS to an exhaust adapted tq' ctuated.fromwth mdiaphrhgm c and-opensat. one sidefofthe diaphragmqlf v -17. estes has a stem QLwhich at] its outer endis supported in a, guide piece i, i 22 attached to a stripl23." This strip 23 is detachable, and extends the whole length of the pneumatic action, being provided with; perforations 24,, and one of the brackets '22 is provided for each oflthe stems 21. Thus,

.' if it"is desired to gainacces's' to anysofthe- Valves; the removal of thestrip 23 is all tha t is required, and all vthe 'valves are then f y accessible; The stem -21"-oarrie s tween-ne val ves asi25, and 26}, the fo me ib gthe 1 e Vacuum-valve, and the latter the atmosef a pher'eva-lve {The vacuum valve 25isadapt- -15 4 7 rnos'phere valve or cuts-off?isfadaptedlto seat. I against' the; walls ofthe port or opening 24. lhe'vtilye' chambeiif-QS in'whioh the two wheeze: and26 xopei'a'te3 i'is in communi cation through achannel 29 with theipneue ed :tofse'at upon an open disk r27fand the at? inati-c 30 of the pneuinatio actionw vThe up .1 per-or top "b0ard31 of the pneumatic-is pen *forated as shown, and it is attachedtothe' the'j bottom board is of usual consti uoclosesth'e lower' 'end'of'the passagel3l} T he" the bottom jboard132-of course swinging upfqp'ei'forated note sh'eetf'actuate thestriking mechanism, andthis mechanismgis'con-i I st'ructedfas follows: A rail '33 exitendslongi tudinally of the piano and is located-1 below I i the: bellows 30.-- Attached to this rail; are a ;sulliilbleiI'lllIl'IbQiffOfgfillCIllHi bloeks 3 liu e l so rlew isIilhistratd for attaching the block tolthe' raih' and the "lowen e'ndof each block 5 is bifuroatedffand providedawithyforked ends 36.. Theseiorked endsare designed tQprovide a fulcrum for oneiof the striking members 37; a pin 38 extending thioughthe forked ends'ancl the striking-memberBZ to futor'rpfl at fulcieum forgsaidfmernben The" striking menihenis connected to the bottom-' touch dfhunianhandsirfstriker rod 39" and .bi'acketAQMthe lat-ten",

tom board and the former being. connected alt'its ends to said bracket and thestriking ided with. the usual "touchfbuttonl: 5 These" a time'sjfi ndshould these membeis 'b'ecorne is -thr'e'aded into the striking r'nernber 371016 I wits moireinnt away fronithestriking {air now: passes; thi'l'ough port :14, and Chan-j net-516, and the? ressure of aiit against the; v diaphragm l7 moves the --secondary 'Valve 5 r .to theliight, closing the. poftf24gfrom the 'atinosph'ejregfand opening-port 27- to-the ii ,vacuuin chamber 118-. "lfheiairin the pneu- 'matifc 30: no'w rushes-;up throughjthe Chan nel 29 into; the valve: chamber' and vacuum" chamber; and the pneumatic? is collapsed,

tio'n' 'to the striking member; byineansfof al screw 48Whih is threaded intdthestrikin' tionin the rock'er; a 's A spm "cated betweenithe washer 5l-*and?*thefi1ppe I 7 side of ithe rocker farm, and itvvilldhadil be seen that the function .0f 5 this spiiiiig; i V I fgto. cushion the-nioiement of the right-end 2 V 0] wardl y at the fight =in j'Fig k This col-f lapserof the'bellows and movement of'its?" toldeiii'essftheleftendfof 'the rocliel afm collapses, "it lifts the" right end of fthe'fsti'ik ting member through; the connecting *rod to the lifter on the abstract 35; the "focke rif &IJII'IFdllQ1tQth8 natural pliabilityoffthe Woo e-ofiwhichthe lstriking membert and iocke "inentof the strikingfaction is dispelled so that the head l2 lifts 1 the piano j abstract 3 .W1thQa 'mOYIfieIIt closely "app ijox mi i" the;

boafd 32 of. pi llnatie means of a a r a f 'being attached'to the "under side o f the bot-Q??- 7 a membenf; An additional or auxilia 'ynien i f her is used in'connecti'on with each strikingf l t' member, 'and this -inernber :is a rocker arm} 41,05 clearly illustratedin Figs. land 6, This arm fulcruln p'oint 42 whiehrests L upon the'uppe'iside-of the strikingiinenib'er 37, and asclearly seeninKFigsJ 1 and"3;' it z isguidedbetween the forkedendsBdofthef I Hi .i fulcruni block.) The rockerlarnfisjslightl longer than the striking membei3and at it right end projects beyond the striking lnem berand is formedwfvith a headl'42" in contact: with the. lifter 4, on the pianofabstr act At "its other. end the rocker aTIn projects beyond the-striking mmberfhnd is ,t protwofmember's, the Striking vmember and 5 the: rocker arm, are :thus adjusftably 'conneetedf together so thatthe head 42 "mayfbjeniaim I tainediin contact with the 'liftef-l 4 at a separated fors'anyreasonfthe head 42; be -br'ought back to the I'li-fter' byadjusting the screw 45; Inthi'sf m'anne -lostxfnotion} 1c is prevented between the lifter-and the head In Fig, 5, it will beseen thatithis screw the piano action; 7 butfthe screw loosely en gagesthe rocker arm; because" of i the 'pie, ence-of @a slot 46 "in the arm 2 washer head 4L7 is: used 0n thescrew and it Will- .rea'dilyiseenlthat the rocker "12m iisiimiea member 37, and pisses'thi ou gha perfoia;

the rocker, arfn when thefsc'iflew 45 is" tui n'd 'i' llhelbperation of the striking d'evice"wi11 be readily understood; Asthe pneumaticf 30 39,- and1nstead of imparting a direct blow,

aini vaife j complosedg "absorbsfthe l i sujdden quIclgshock of the movements?'oi-jthegpneu matic, and the shock ioztgje 'k-lof fthe moye renders the player action more durable, but

reserves the piano action itself, It will e readily 'seenlthat the movement of the rocker armmay be'adjusted with rela tion to the striking member, by turning the- ,7 In the modified channel 7 ma horizontal position, instead practically no los't motion whatever, no sudden shocks or jarsto the parts," and this smoothness of movement and action notonly also screws 4:5 and 4:8, and this feature" perm-its adjustment of the player parts, and each striking member may be ad usted independt V v I v. r ber, and an adjusting screw at the other side 7 form shown in Fig. 2, the v valve box '5. is provided with a-suction pipe, or rubber tube 6 which-enters the single ently of the others.

of in a vertical position as shown in Fig. 1. This form of the invention ispreferable in some cases, and is adapted for use in certain arrangementsof the'player action.I 7 What I claim is:

.1. Thecomb'nation inan automatic piano player with a striking device comprisinga pivoted arm,;a pneumatic and a connection between said arm and pneumatic, of a bodily l movable, separate rocker arm fulcrumed on the pivoted arm and adapted to engage an abstract in the pianoaction, and an adjust able connection for saidrocker arm to hold it in contactwith the abstract. 7

2.'The combination in a striking device including a pivoted member, a pneumatic, V t

and a connection betweenthe pivoted membar and pneumatic, of a' bodily movable,

separate rocker arm fulcrumed on'said omem: her and having a perforation near one end, an adjusting screw passed through said perforation and threaded in the pivoted memof said fulcrum, and a spring between said with a portion of the abstractp I In testimony whereof I aflix my signature inpresence of. two witnesses;

" Witnesses; i JAMES L; WELDING,

JOHN C. Moms.

copies' ofthi s patent mayr be obtained' for flveyeents eacmty addressing the "Qonimtssioner ot'l'atenta, i i fWashinfimrD-Cl v. I --t HERMAN WITTIG Jn. v 

